


Cold Stone

by Airuna



Series: GoT season 8 fics because I have not totally escaped this hell yet it seems [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Bonding Over Shared Trauma, Episode Related, Episode: s08e02 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I will go down with the Throbb ship but I could get behind Thesan, Kind Sansa Stark, M/M, Missing Scene, Theon Greyjoy defence squad, angst I guess?, beside me reambling I mean, forgiveness and regret, if nothing else their brotp gives me life, if you stretch it, just talking before the battle, since they share a lot of past pain and experiences, tags what are tags?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 13:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18572593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airuna/pseuds/Airuna
Summary: Before the battle between the living and the dead begins Sansa finds Theon in the crypts, looking at Robb's statue.





	Cold Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, I know Theon is a controversial character so if you hate him, wish Ramsay had killed him, think Robb should have executed him or believe the Starks are saints this is probably not the fic for you. You're, of course, entaitled to your own opinion and your interpration of the character is as valid as mine but you won't change my mind about him so please don't go into the comment section to tell me I'm wrong and evil. If you want to debat about Theon or if you love him like I do please feel free to message me on tumblr (my username is airuna) and I'll be happy to answer.
> 
> Now that's out of the way let me warn you that I'm kind of a casual fan of the series. Well, I dont do casual so of course I'm obsessed with some characters but I've only read 4 and a half books and seen till season 2 of the serie plus several scenes here and there. My headcanons and thoughts on the characters are then a mix between their book version, their tv version and several of the fanon version. That being said this fic is set in ep 8x02 of the series (all the reunions this season have made me start watching again) and as such I will be refering to Theon's sister as Yara (why couldn't they keep the name Asha again?).
> 
> If you are still here and I haven't scared you off with this unnecessarily long and cautious disclaimer, don't worry, I'm shutting up now. I hope you enjoy it.

The face was all wrong, too cold, too hard. Too like the King in the North, like Ned Stark’s dutiful son, and Robb had been so much more than that. He’d been a solemn king, a young but wise ruler but also a fierce warrior, a mischievous boy not above stealing apples from the kitchen, a doting but teasing brother willing to give his younger siblings more leeway he’d ever had. He’d been a just man, a kind, honest one. A man who had embraced a hostage and a bastard as his dearest companions when most people in Winterfell treated them like outsiders. During the worst of Theon’s childhood and adolescence, when holding Lord Stark’s sword during executions made him wonder who’d play his part should his father rebel, Robb had been what stopped him from failing into despair. He’d been his sun in this cold, northern kingdom. 

He examined the stone again.  

Yes, the face was all wrong but it was to be expected. No statue would ever do Robb Stark, the Young Wolf, the King in the North, the friend, the brother, the son and so much more, justice. 

“I thought you might be here.” Sansa’s voice broke him out of his cavillations. 

“My lady,” he said bowing his head. The Theon of long ago may have made a quip about the impropriety of them being alone together if only to watch her squirm and splutter but this one didn’t even smirk. And anyway, it wouldn’t have worked. This Sansa was not the girl he'd watched grown nor was she the broken but unyielding woman he’d helped free from the Bolton’s.  

“Do you miss him?” she asked softly, eyes fixed on the representation of her brother’s face. 

 _Every_ _second_. “I don’t have the right too.” 

Sansa pursed her lips, looking cross. “I didn’t use to think about you or your situation when we were kids,” she admitted out of nowhere. “I’d say I thought you were happy with us but I never actually considered it.” 

“Your family was kind to me, my lady.” 

“No, we weren’t. We were decent enough, I suppose, but my father always kept you at a distance, he never forgot you were a hostage and neither did you.” Her knowing tone and far away gaze were far more upsetting that her words. 

“My situation was very different than yours, Sansa. Your family would never have been as cruel to me as the Lannister's were to you,” he was quick to correct. 

“They were different, it’s true. We weren’t at war with your family anymore so we mostly just let you be.” Theon nodded, glad that had been cleared up but Sansa wasn’t done. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you were a hostage, leverage against your father. We called you my father’s ward but you had no freedom and had to live every day wondering if a raven would come, bearing news you wouldn’t be privy to until they brought you to the execution block. We took you from your family, your home and your people and acted like you should’ve been grateful to have a plate at our table.” 

There was nothing Theon could say to that. 

“I had a place on the table too, you know? I shared my suppers with the Queen and prince Tommen and princess Myrcella. For a while I was engaged to the King then married to a noble of a great family. I wore wonderful clothes and never lacked food or shelter. But I was in hell and they intended me to be. Everything around me reminded me I was but a prisoner, that one mood switch from Joffrey and my life would end as my father’s had. I had no news of my family other than what my captors wanted me to know and when Robb started to win battle after battle, I was held accountable, giving beatings and held at crossbow point.” 

“Sansa...” Theon started not knowing exactly how to proceed. 

“But the worst part was that I had to always be lying, always acting,” she continued before he could figure it out. “I had to be civil with the people that had murdered my family. I couldn’t show my hatred nor could I defend my family from their insults. Sometimes I was even forced to voice support towards them even though everyone knew I was praying for their demise. Every defiance, every word out of place, carried a hefty price, one I couldn’t pay often if I wanted to survive.” 

“I’m sorry,” Theon said laying a comforting hand on hers. “No one should have to life through that.” 

“You’re right, no one should.” Sansa nodded defiantly. “And looking back, all your smirks and teasing remarks remind me of my manners and songs, they were an armor, one you had to wear growing up in the home of the people who had murdered your brothers and taken you away. This may be our last night in earth, Theon, let’s not spend it playing parts. Speak freely and I shall do the same.” She held his gaze until Theon was forced to nod. “Do you miss Robb?” 

“Yeah, of course I do,” he admitted and felt his whole body sink at the truth in the words. “I never felt at home in Winterfell, that much is true. And I always felt like everyone around was judging me and finding me lacking but Robb was different. He never saw me as a hostage, someone to keep his distance from. He believed in me and trusted me implicitly when no one else would and I repaid him by burning his home and pretending I had killed his little brothers.” Theon shook his head in shame. “He deserved better.” 

“Yeah, I reckon we all deserved better than we got,” Sansa said smiling sadly. “But Winterfell has been rebuilt, you didn’t kill Bran and Rickon, you saved me from Ramsay and now you’re here, willing to fight and army of death to defend his home.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” he said with more force than he was intending. “I betrayed him and for what? A family that I barely remembered? A father who had given me for dead the day I was shipped to Winterfell? The only decent person in my family is Yara and I didn’t even choose her! No, I invaded your home to prove to my father that I was a more deserving heir than her, that I was still an Ironborn.” He let out a dry laugh. “Funny, isn’t it? I was always too much of an Ironman for the northerners but I was too much of a northerner for my people.” Sansa didn’t laugh. “But Robb didn’t care what or who I was. I was his friend, his advisor and his brother in arms. It didn’t matter to him which sigil I wore, my family's crimes or great deeds. I swore allegiance to him out of my own free will, I meant my vows and I broke them. I chose wrong.” 

“You did,” Sansa nodded. “And more than paid for it with years serving the Bolton’s. I was there for months and almost didn’t make it out alive, you survived them for years. Ramsay tortured you in ways most people wouldn’t even imagine and you still faced him to help me.” 

“You saved me too, you know that right? I didn’t even remember my name when you found me, let alone who I had been. I don’t think I was even human for a while there. I’ll forever be grateful to you for making me remember and giving me the strength to fight back.” He smiled at her fondly. “He’d be proud of you, so proud. You’ve become strong and a just ruler, like he was.” 

“I hope so, I used to look up to him so much.” And for a moment there was a smile in her face that Theon could recognize of her childhood and almost a spark of happiness in her eyes. “I think he’d forgive you. Me and Jon have and he liked you way more than we did. You saved me and probably helped Bran and Rickon by making everyone think they were dead as unintentional as that was. So maybe you should start working on forgiving yourself as well.” 

He shook his head. “When Ramsay told me that he’d died all I could think was that I should have been there with him and died by his side,” he confessed. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop regretting that I betrayed him but I no longer wish I’d died. I’m truly glad I had the chance to make things right with his family. If I die tomorrow I’ll be able to face him and I’ll have earned the right to beg for his forgiveness if nothing else.” 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’ve heard tales of your sister and I do not wish to inform her of your death least she skins me for allowing it,” Sansa teased. 

“Then to protect you, I’ll do my best.” Theon answered with a fond smile. 

Sansa got up, dusting down her skirt. “We have little time before the Night King gets here, let’s not waste any more of it in a crypt. Not when upstairs there’s wine and fire.” 

“If that is my lady’s command.” Theon nodded and felt himself smirk, maybe there was some part of his old self still alive after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> So more disclaimer, yay. I'm not in any way suggesting that Sansa's experiences in Kingslanding are equal to those of Theon in Winterfell. She obviously had it worst and I tried to ackowledge that in the story but in case it wasn't clear enough let me say it again, Sansa was put into a much much worst situation. That being said Theon was a hostage and a lot of Sansa's experiences can relate to him so I wanted them to have a chat about it. Also they both need a friend that understands them, have been through a lot together and I like their dinamic hence this fic. Like I said in the tags I'll forever belief than Robb and Theon are tragic soulmates but I like how Theon and Sansa are being treated this season and I'm down with them being close friends or a second, more comfortable if less intese love (rip Margaery the queen of my heart). 
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to leave kudos and comments.
> 
> (also the working title of this fic was hostage club but then I started thinking how they'd have to invite Arya, Tyrion, Jaime, Brienne, Myrcelle and basically every other character in the show and wouldn't fit in the crypt anymore)


End file.
